Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum Dismisses Trump’s Gulf of America Order

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum reacted with amusement to U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” Addressing the matter during a press conference, Sheinbaum made it clear that while the U.S. could use any name it wanted for its territorial waters, the internationally recognized name remained unchanged.

“He can call it whatever he wants on his side, but for us—and for the entire world—it remains the Gulf of Mexico,” she said, smiling.

Trump announced the renaming during his inaugural address before signing an executive order titled “Restoring Names that Honor American Greatness.” The directive requires the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to implement the name change for U.S. waters bordering Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida within 30 days.

This is not the first time linguistic disputes have arisen between the two nations. The river forming part of the U.S.-Mexico border is called the Rio Grande in the U.S. but referred to as Río Bravo in Mexico.

Previously, Sheinbaum sarcastically suggested renaming North America as “América Mexicana” in response to Trump’s earlier mention of the Gulf’s rebranding. This time, she chose to dismiss the issue, stating, “For us, and for the entire world, it will always be the Gulf of Mexico.”

Trump’s order may apply within U.S. territorial waters, but it holds no international weight. Mexico and the global community are unlikely to acknowledge the change, leaving the name Gulf of Mexico firmly in place.